A couple in Penang held a wedding to remember, but for all the wrong reasons.

The newlyweds hosted their guests in December 2023 to what was meant to be a romantic evening at Averie Hous, 22,000 sq ft garden wedding venue.

But just when everyone was seated for dinner shortly after 7pm, the venue plunged into darkness due to a power outage.

“We were all shocked,” said the groom, who goes by Vince YH on Facebook, in his post on Jan 6.

“Our friends asked whether we had requested such a walk-in ceremony. We told them it’s a power outage,” he said.

Only one or two air-conditioners were still working, which was not enough to cool down the huge, enclosed dinner venue, he added.

“Not only did my guests have to eat in darkness, they were also sweating buckets,” the groom lamented.

In his Facebook post, the groom also recounted how it took 1½ hours for an electrician to arrive – with a group of interns in tow.

“At first we thought the outage would be brief, so we were still hopeful as we waited and waited. But in the end, the outage lasted for three hours,” he said, adding that by 8.30pm, nearly half of the guests had left.

“It was dark and stuffy, we had no reasons to persuade them to stay. My wife could not hold back her emotions and broke down in tears,” he said.

It was also a pity that they could not play a video that they spent nearly a month to put together, since they could not use the projector that they had paid another RM300 (S$85) for.

The groom also flagged other issues that cropped up in the month leading up to the wedding, such as the last-minute change to the menu and decor.

“We spent months preparing for the wedding for it to turn out to be an embarrassing situation,” said the groom.

He added that the venue provider also did not address his questions about compensation for more than a week after the wedding.

The groom’s post on Jan 6 has since been shared more than 2,000 times. Hundreds of comments poured in, with many saying they could imagine how “devastated” the bride must be.

In a Facebook post on Jan 7, Averie Hous apologised for a “recent incident” at its venue.

“Unfortunately, we experienced an unexpected and uncontrollable power outage on that day, causing disruption to the festivities.

“We understand the profound impact this had on the special occasion and we are truly sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment caused,” said Averie Hous.

“Our team is actively investigating the root cause of the blackout to prevent any recurrence in the future,” it added.

In another Facebook post on Jan 7, the groom said he was offered a partial refund of RM4,500 if he agreed to remove his first post within a stipulated period. As at 9pm on Jan 7, the two parties did not seem to have reached an agreement.

The Straits Times has contacted Averie Hous and the couple for comment.